Re-emergence of the Military and the Future of Democracy in Bangladesh

A military-backed caretaker government supported by the international community assumed power in Bangladesh on January 11, 2007, promising a corruption-free and clean democratic environment to usher in a new era in politics. It has introduced a series of electoral reforms and has taken action against the ‘corrupt’. As Bangladesh is poised for parliamentary elections by the end of December, doubts remain about whether politics in Bangladesh will change for the better, however. Bangladesh politics are not going to be the same and the shadow of 1/11 is likely to hang over the country’s democratic future for a long time to come.